How To Avoid Disappointment

“… expectations and human behaviour …” Once again Lucy stares into the glowing embers left behind after the roaring flames of the fire dwindled thinking about how humans create expectations with their behaviour. Even when they do not mean for a certain effect to take place, it sometimes still does.

Action and reaction. Cause and effect, or should it read affect? “For is it not one human’s actions which affect those surrounding the one who acted? Causing expectations to grow and hopes to blossom?” Lucy sighs and ponders on hope and affect, causality and blame.

“Mea culpa …” She shakes her head as she realises humans are not the rational beings they like to pretend to be. That it in fact is emotions which rule humans most times. “Humans expect too much and yet not enough. Some sell themselves short to avoid blame. Take blame and shame to avoid strain, but doesn’t that create expectations one cannot continue to live up to? And will one not break when one bends too often to fit into the expectations laid upon ones self?” Comfortably held Lucy smiles as she thinks on what Sylvia Plath once said, “If you expect nothing from anybody, you’re never disappointed.”

“How right she was,” Lucy sighs and whispers, “What if no human had expectations? Would they then not strive to live up to those expectations? No progress would be made. But then again neither would wars be waged, or envy felt, nor consuming rage set free.” She smiles and sips her coffee. “Ah, but that would be a perfect world, and perfection does not exists, only life. As Milan Kundera said.” Lucy says. At least she expects nothing from none around here and thus cannot be disappointed. Instead she will relish every day she has in this bliss and will take all that life throws on her path in stride. The good and the bad, smiling at those who aim to harm and wish them well and embracing those who fall in stride with her aiming to give the best one has and expect nothing in return.